JOHANNESBURG: South Africa banned alcohol sales and made masks mandatory in public from Tuesday after a surge in coronavirus cases, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that pandemics far more deadly than coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) may lie ahead. Ramaphosa said data showed “excessive alcohol consumption” leads to an increase in trauma cases reported at hospitals, causing an “unnecessary” strain on public health facilities. I’ve been vaccinated for the flu before, now it’s the same thing,” Collineau said as he got the shot on Monday. “We are into the second and third waves of this virus and we are still not prepared to deal with and manage those,” he said. India, with the second-biggest caseload in the world, reported the detection of the new coronavirus strain, but officials said the nation’s pandemic guidelines have not changed because of it.

Source: Manila Times December 29, 2020 07:48 UTC